KID A MNESIA
*KID A MNESIA* isn’t just an occasion to revisit a pair of groundbreaking albums (2000’s *Kid A* and 2001’s *Amnesiac*), but a chance to hear a little of how Radiohead got there. Recording sessions were tough: Thom Yorke had writer’s block, and his new commitment to electronic music—or, at least, a turn away from conventional rock—left some of his bandmates wondering about their function and purpose. As guitarist Ed O’Brien once put it, he was a guitarist faced with a bunch of tracks that had no guitar. At one point, producer Nigel Godrich split the band into two groups: one working with instruments in the main recording area, the other in a programming room processing sounds from next door, all under the condition that no acoustic instruments—guitars, drums, etc.—be used. The constraints opened doors: Not only did the band discover new ways of working (and, by extension, refresh their passion for music after years of unyielding pressure), but, in doing so, they shifted the template for what we think of when we think of a rock band, mixing the acoustic and the electronic (“Everything in Its Right Place,” “Like Spinning Plates”) and relatively straightforward tracks (“Optimistic,” “Pyramid Song”) with fragmentary, discursive ones (“Kid A,” “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors”). In the outtakes, we get glimpses of the band’s past (the paranoiac folk of “Follow Me Around“) and future (the deconstructed, full-band sound of “If You Say the Word”), as well as versions of “Like Spinning Plates” and “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors” that chart their evolution in real time. It’s a snapshot of a band taking step back from themselves and the way they worked, finding a way forward in the process.
At the turn of the century, Radiohead released two albums that forever altered their identity. Now, Kid A and Amnesiac are reissued as a pair, along with whatever worthy B-sides, alternate versions, and outtakes they can find.
KID A MNESIA proves even Radiohead’s identity crises were a breeding ground for innovation
Radiohead find cash under the cushions with “half-remembered, half-forgotten sessions and unreleased material” from 'Kid A' and 'Amnesiac'
As revolutionary as the original albums still are, 'Kid A Mnesia' will disappoint all but the most ardent completists.
In hindsight, Y2K paranoia seems absurd — but at the time, it really did feel like the turn of the millennium could reset the world's comput...
Radiohead’s consecutive experimental masterpieces Kid A and Amnesiac have continued to intrigue, perplex, and ultimately astound. Recorded during the same 1999–2000 sessions, their vast sonic landscapes remain objects of envy and emulation. Twenty years later, both releases have been reissued and combined into Kid A Mnesia, a monumental triple album release from XL.
The band’s 20th-anniversary reissue of Kid A and Amnesiac along with unreleased material makes for fascinating listening
Kid A Mnesia By Radiohead Album review by Mimi Kenny. The UK band's new release drops on November 5, via XL Recordings